singe

watching lightning repeatedly slice through the gloomy clouds, the same clouds that frictioned to produce them.. sending a chill across the baked city in the middle of september, monsoon territory.

at work.. and with 'all along the watchtower' on the pod treating my ears, i turn from my desk, to find a cohort peering at the glass window, watching the purple streaks of voltage illuminating the raindrops slapping the window.. forget the fears of being drenched, inviting cold, temperature and other unmentionables.

nothing interrupted the open mouths and minds of us mortals .. nothing stole the thunder (pun surely intended).. the sky was orchestrating a perfect symphony of piercing light and delayed bass... it was beautiful... surreal.

the only way to make a grand entrance.. lure us into a week of solar excess.. and then the deluge follows when we least expect it.. but this time round, it was welcome... everything stood still... the 9th floor view made me feel divine, looking down at the scurrying umbrellas, like black beetles.. jostling for space in the impossible concrete world.

the music is always on, but no one listens.. but tonight, everyone sat up and took notice.

was it worth it?

the relentless government blinked. and now, all teachers have higher figures on their pay checks. A 45-day drama, and for what? Sure, its unjust for the government to underpay such valuable members of the society, members who are responsible for shaping the minds and thought processess of tomorrow's adults. But, these guys must now face the consequences of their protests. Reduced vacations, possible workdays on holidays and even the coveted weekends might be ruined. The syllabus was, as it is, burgeoning. 

Now, with a 45-day vacation aside, its going to be even more uphill for the teachers, professors, and students. Unless the authorities mark an asterisk on this year and reduce the syllabus by 40% or so, its going to be hell for even the most studious of kids.

In an ugly street fight between the teachers and government, the poor kids cower at the street corners, hoping, praying for a solution to end this madness. It will be really hard to go with the regular flow of an academic year. Its going to be too fast for anyone involved, teachers and students alike. There has to be some provision made to ease the burden of this batch and measures be taken to avoid this debacle again.

Now I wonder, was it really worth all this hoopla? For a few thousand bucks more, what have these protests really achieved? Its a shame. When will the government (that has 350 crores to construct a friggin statue in the sea) realise the myriad other avenues it MUST invest its petty cash it?!

free agent

the office picnic to durshet was fantabulous! i got to go rappelling and kayaking for the first time. the smooth slants of the massive monolith didnt look as imposing as I would have liked it to, but nonetheless, harness et al, i climbed down the stone and felt incredible. the constant breeze, swaying trees, rustling of leaves, and the gushing waterfall adjacent to me made me lose myself as i climbed down nature's lap.

kayaking was all about fun. after a brief briefing about the to-do's and dont's, oar in hand, i went in the shallow water. kayaking is not at all as tedious as it is perceived to be. its pure fun, and the concept of going straight is lost to beginners. its more like swaying left and right but overall you go ahead. like a drunk crab. gliding on water was the next best feeling after rappelling on the boulder. it didnt matter that the sun was showering us with its summer heat, nor that the water was only a few feet deep. kayaking till ur shoulders drop is something every nature freak or not should do!

i cant wait to do these again. if only the rain-gods decided to challenge us mortals by making the stones slippery and the river deeper.

"I have never seen a river that I could not love. Moving water has a fascinating vitality. It has power and grace and associations. It has a thousand colors and a thousand shapes, yet it follows laws so definite that the tiniest streamlet is an exact replica of a great river."